In recent years, the application of mass spectrometric technique has been advancing in the field of clinical examination. For example, a mass spectrometer which can be suitably used in hospitals to perform a specimen examination for identifying components contained in a specimen obtained from a patient or microorganisms contained in the specimen has been developed (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
For analysis of a sample, such as a specimen, by a mass spectrometer, the task of placing a sample on a sample plate (“sample preparation operation”) is conducted in advance. Along with the sample preparation operation, the task of associating a sample plate and a sample to be placed on the sample plate is performed. For example, this task is carried out in such a manner that an operator using a barcode reader consecutively reads a barcode provided on the sample plate (the barcode corresponding to an identifier of the sample plate) and a barcode provided on a container and the like containing a sample to be placed on the sample plate (the barcode corresponding to an identifier of the sample), and sends the read information to a computer (a data server) connected to the mass spectrometer. The data server associates the barcode of the sample plate (specifically, identification information of the sample plate indicated by the barcode) with the barcode of the sample (specifically, identification information of the sample indicated by the barcode), and stores the associated information. Accordingly, the sample plate and the sample placed on the sample plate are associated with each other.
An operator of the mass spectrometer sets the sample plate on which the sample is placed, in the mass spectrometer one by one, to operate the mass spectrometer to analyze the sample. Before setting the sample plate in the mass spectrometer, the operator reads the barcode provided on the sample plate with a barcode reader, and inputs the read information into the mass spectrometer. Based on this information, the mass spectrometer recognizes which one of the sample plates corresponds to the analysis information obtained by the mass spectrometric analysis. As mentioned above, the sample plate and the sample placed thereon have previously been associated with each other in the data server connected to the mass spectrometer. Accordingly, the association of the sample plate with the analysis information can be recognized, thereby allowing the analysis information and the sample to be associated with each other.